Brown bagging

I've been busy reading the Runner's World 2009 fall shoe guide on the Runner's World iPhone app (as well as on the site and in the August print issue). After wondering whether I have flat or normal arches and if I really should be in a neutral shoe versus a stability shoe I decided to try the "wet test."

My kids and I filled a pan of water, put out a paper shopping bag and tried the test. My impression showed my foot to be somewhere between a low arch and a normal arch so a stability shoe like the Brooks Adrenalin GTS 9 was an appropriate choice. I've come to like this shoe although I wish it felt a bit more responsive off the forefoot. Given this test, I can probably get away with less stability so I'll consider that when I'm ready to replace the Brooks that now serve as my primary road shoe. My daughter did the wet test and was horrified to see that she has flat feet but I explained that there's no right or wrong to it. She loves her Saucony's so they must be the right shoes for her. My son and my wife both had classic normal arch profiles and no one had a high arch.

Later in the day I headed to Stillwell to run some trails. I haven't done that in a couple of weeks and the last couple of days have been tough runs for me. I was hoping that change from pavement to trails would improve my performance but I am still suffering some residual fatigue from Friday. I didn't push too hard and avoided most of the tough hills (although I did run through a section dubbed the "Snake Pit") and I ended up covering a little over three miles. I have not been happy with my running for a couple of weeks as I feel like I'm making no progress on pace (despite the interval work I did last Sunday) and my endurance is off. I'll attribute this lack of strength to the fact that I'm still fending off a slight illness. At least I hope that's why. I'm wondering if missing a couple of weekly runs with AG has softened me a little. Without her benevolent push I may be getting lazy. I'll see how I do this week. Next Sunday morning I'm lining up for a 4-mile race.